Irene’s Impact Wrestling Sacrifice Review 3.13.21

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We are tuning in for a historic event in TNA/IMPACT history, with Sackerfice. A lot has changed since the initial Sacrifice event in 2005, and even since the latest of its kind last year. The event was headlined by Tessa Blanchard and Ace Austin, and one year later we are looking at IMPACT Champion Rich Swann against TNA World Champion, Moose. Not to mention the winner will fight Kenny Omega. IMPACT is such a crazy ride even now, with the endless unpredictability of who’s going to show up and who’s leaving. Of course, each departure is a SACRIFICE for the inevitable arrival of something spectacular. That sounds like something Matt Striker will say tonight. My ramblings aside, tonight is a top-heavy card with the Title Unification match, Inter-promotional Tag Team Title match between FinJuice and The Good Brothers, and an X-Division banger featuring Ace Austin and Champ, TJP. In total, there are six titles on the line tonight. That’s a lot of belts and the numbers don’t lie. And they spell disaster… alright I’m done.

Already getting an error on the stream unfortunately. Decay has kicked off two events in a row with technical difficulties.

DECAY vs. RENO SCUM

Joining in progress here as the stream is up and running. Luster the Legend tags to Adam Thornstowe who has trouble with Crazzy Steve. Steve quickly tags Black Taurus. Taurus shows a load of intensity but Thornstowe hits a stomp into a senton for a crafty reversal. The big man, Luster assists and becomes legal. Thornstowe looking sharp tonight, hits a nice dropkick and standing moonsault. Taurus uses his athleticism to knock down Luster and grab a tag to Steve. Thornstowe meets him but ends up in a back and forth exchange. Steve looks smooth hitting a low-angle flatliner. Steve forces Scum to collide and stuns them. Taurus comes in but gets flattened by Thornstowe. Once again, Scum misfires and Rosemary green mists Luster on the outside. Back inside, Decay hits a cannonball and Taurus Driver combo for a victory.

WINNERS: DECAY

***

I enjoyed that match. A really solid little opener, which Decay seems to work well in. A good showing by Reno Scum as well. Rosemary’s inclusion was also nice, proving to be the difference-maker.

KALEB WITH A K and TENILLE DASHWOOD vs. HAVOK and NEVAEH

Tenille and Nevaeh go back and forth with some chain wrestling. Tenille gains a quick advantage and brings in Kaleb. He slams Nevaeh but whiffs on an elbow. Havok destroys him with a backbreaker and lariat. Nevaeh gives Kaleb a beating, who looks very out of his element. Kaleb snatches the hair and a tag to Tenille. She picks up where he left off while Kaleb records premium content. They trap her in the corner as Havok gets fired up on the apron. Nevaeh lands a neckbreaker allowing her to hit the tag to Havok. Tenille and Kaleb eat an onslaught from Havok, who delivers knees and kicks all over. Kaleb distracts the ref on a Nevaeh roll-up attempt, and then flips it for a Tenille victory.

WINNERS: KALEB WITH A K and TENILLE DASHWOOD

*1/2

I did not enjoy this match very much nor did I ever expect to. I’m not too invested in this feud or much of both act’s booking.

*Eddie Edwards supports Rich Swann against Moose and Kenny Omega.

*Good promo package showing the TNA history of James Storm, Chris Sabin, and Eric Young.

VIOLENT BY DESIGN (DEANER and JOE DOERING) w/ERIC YOUNG vs. JAMES STORM and CHRIS SABIN w/JAKE SOMETHING

Deaner and Sabin kick it off for this unique tag bout. Sabin spams some arm-drags and Deaner is frustrated. He shuffles to EY for some coaching. Doering gets the tag and Sabin is outsized. Sabin uses his quickness to neutralize the big man. Sabin gets the tag to Storm but Doering takes them both out with a clothesline. Deaner comes in to continue wearing down the stunned Storm. The Cowboy hits a nice belly to belly and tags in Sabin. Storm and Sabin work together to leave Deaner in trouble. Doering works from the apron to take Storm down with a clothesline. Doering and Deaner are relentless in battering Storm on the mat. Storm is heavily damaged, still taking big shots in the opposing corner. Storm breaks free to hand the tag to Sabin who is a master of the hot tag. He goes off on VBD with a plethora of kicks. Storm is feeling revived and nails an elbow from the top. Sabin attempts a pin but only gets two. Doering stops the momentum with a huge crossbody. Deaner hits a diving headbutt for a near fall on Sabin. Deaner gets clocked with an enzigiuri. EY interferes but Something fights that off. The ref is taken out, allowing EY to storm the ring. Something destroys EY with a clothesline. Deaner and Sabin collide with a clothesline inside the ring. EY hits a neck breaker to Something outside. Absolute chaos. Rhino storms the ring making his return. He hits the ropes and GORES SABIN! Deaner picks up the scraps and secures the pin. Rhino stands united with Violent By Design.

WINNERS: VIOLENT BY DESIGN

***

That was an exciting match that did a great job in differentiating itself from the opener. This evolved into a wild fight with action happening on every corner of the screen by the end of it. The ending was shocking as well, and could be something fresh for Rhino, who also has the Call Your Shot Trophy.

*Gia interviews Brian Myers who is frustrated with tonight’s conditions.

*Eddie Edwards and Brian Myers promo package

HOLD HARMLESS
EDDIE EDWARDS vs. BRIAN MYERS

This is a no disqualification match that avoids some legal objections from Myers and his team. They brawl immediately to start it off. Eddie feels confident, hitting a crisp belly-to-belly suplex. Myers fights back but can’t keep with Eddie’s fire. Eddie continues to lay it in, hitting a suicide dive and feeding off of the energy of the sound track audience. Eddie reveals the steel steps which he ends up getting tripped onto back first. Myers gains the upper hand, pounding away on Eddie. The Most Professional Wrestler grabs a trash can lid, which he bashes over Eddie’s head. Myers keeps Eddie floored until lifting him for a brainbuster and a near fall. Myers hits a Michinoku Driver but gets two once more. Running out of ideas, Myers grabs grabs a plethora of weapons. He places Eddie onto a pile of steel chairs, lids, and cookie sheets. Eddie meets him up on the top rope, hitting a superplex onto the pile. They stand up and trade shots. Eddie lays in some chops and a Blue Thunder Bomb. Eddie goes for a table as Myers begs for mercy. Hernandez charges the ring and snatches Eddie. Matt Cardona evens it up, taking out SuperMex. Eddie finds his old friend, Kenny (the Kendo stick). Myers baits Eddie into stabbing himself in the throat against the ring and nails a flatliner on the ramp. Eddie meets Myers up top and delivers a Backpack Stunner through the table. Some serious impact on that one. Eddie tosses Myers inside and launches him with a Tiger Driver. Myers drops his illegal object in his elbow pad, which Eddie places in his knee pad. He delivers a loaded Boston Knee Party to put Myers away.

WINNER: EDDIE EDWARDS

***1/4

A fun brawl here with some solid storytelling. From the eye, to the loaded blow, it’s nice to see some key points of storytelling that factor into a match. Eddie won his match and Myers fought hard in defeat.

*Video package for Fire n’ Flava vs. Jordynne Grace and Jazz

IMPACT KNOCKOUTS TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS
FIRE n’ FLAVA (KIERA HOGAN and TASHA STEELZ) vs. JORDYNNE GRACE and JAZZ

Jordynne and Kiera begin the action as Kiera expenses a lot of energy and Jordynne leaves her rocked. Jazz gets the tag as does Tasha. Jazz plants Tasha with a driver and tags in Jordynne. Tasha follows her partner’s strategy and rolls to the outside. Ref Brandon Tolle checks on Tasha who sparks up with a codebreaker. Kiera lays in some kicks but Jordynne is fighting strong. They manage to slow her down, sticking to the plan with some quick flashy kicks and frequent tags. Jordynne’s power drives to her corner, allowing Jazz to come in. Kiera helps from the apron and Tasha hits a cutter for a near fall. Kiera rakes the eyes of Jazz who feels the effects. A slugfest breaks out between Jazz and Tasha who display great chemistry. Jordynne comes in for a powerful hot tag. Tasha hits a splash breaking up a pinfall attempt but Jordynne still has more to give. Tasha and Kiera hit a double stomp neckbreaker combo but Jordynne grabs the ropes on the pin. Ref Tolle has been distracted easily. Jordynne completely plants Kiera with a wheelbarrow then Jazz comes in locking in a STF. Jordynne becomes legal and looks for the muscle buster but gets outnumbered. Tasha hits a crucifix bomb and Kiera rolls the dice with a fisherman neckbreaker for the win.

WINNERS: FIRE n’ FLAVA

***1/4

That was another good tag team match with a good stream of action throughout. Everyone was running around hitting a variety of flashy moves. This exceeded expectations.

*Moose is approached for an interview but is done talking and will prove himself tonight.

IMPACT X-DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP
TJP (c) vs. ACE AUSTIN

This should be a goodie. When TJP returned to IMPACT in 2019, his initial feud was with a fresh, undefeated Ace Austin. Ace took a recent loss to Chris Bey, who surely has his eyes on this one. Ace grounds the champion feeling out the match. TJP stomps the hand, trapping it and chaining it with a submission. Ace tries to match the technical ability but gets caught with a dropkick. TJP hits Fulton on the outside, but Ace follows with a Fosbury Flop. TJP counters Ace’s every move, who eventually catches him with his double springboard kick. Ace locks in a Dragon Sleeper which makes TJP fade a bit. The champ frantically escapes and quickly works to fight back. TJP nails a springboard DDT and follows up with a diving kick to the outside. Back in the ring, TJP hits a crossbody and a big boot. Tornado DDT spikes Ace but he kicks out. They trade quick pin attempts and end up colliding with bicycle kicks. Ace goes off on TJP with a rolling kick and a Fame-ACEr. He sets him up for The Fold but TJP collapses. TJP slowly wakes up as Ace looks to make him tap now. TJP locks in the knee bar out of nowhere and Fulton tries to help his bud. TJP drags him away from the ropes but Ace finds the other side for a break. They have an excellent counter exchange featuring a knee bar and a trap suplex. TJP looks for the Mamba Splash but Ace uses the ref to distract the champ. Ace catches TJP with The Fold after spiking him with his feet for a title victory. Ace Austin is now a two-time X-Division Champion, sitting next to his Super X Cup win from early this year.

WINNER: ACE AUSTIN

***1/2

Man that match rocked. Some excellent counters and reversals and just exciting X-EDivision action. Ace, TJP, Bey, Rohit, and all of the division has stepped up lately, delivering some of the best matches in the company. Chris Bey is the next challenger with a win over the champ and I can watch them go all day.

*We hit up Swinger’s Palace where Alisha and Tenille beef and demand a match against each other.

*Deonna vs. ODB promo package

IMPACT KNOCKOUTS CHAMPIONSHIP
DEONNA PURRAZZO (c) vs. ODB

Deonna is out with her entourage in Susan and Kimber Lee. Deonna looks sharp early on, showing the clear difference between both styles. ODB uses her strikes and power to startle the champ. ODB hits a fallaway slam, sending Deonna outside. Kimber hits a spinning back kick in front of the ref’s eyes, causing him to eject Kimber and Susan. Deonna must win this match against ODB on her own. Deonna stomps ODB into the mat as frustration sets in. ODB throws some shots but gets outworked into an armbar. Deonna goes after a triangle in the ropes but must break quickly. ODB tosses Deonna from the top rope, grabbing a breather. They trade shots, which is ODB’s strong suit. ODB slams Deonna to the canvas but it’s not enough yet. ODB hesitates coming off of the second rope and gets caught in a submission. Deonna locks in her Venus de Milo, a Double arm Fujiwara armbar, forcing ODB to tap out.

WINNER: DEONNA PURRAZZO

**
This match didn’t hit with me too much. I’m a big fan of Deonna but ODB was not the ideal opponent. The technical vs. brawling approach was there but there wasn’t much drama as ODB had no real chance.

* Promo package for IMPACT’s Tag Team Champions, The Good Brothers vs. NJPW’s FinJuice.

IMPACT WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS
THE GOOD BROTHERS (KARL ANDERSON and DOC GALLOWS) (C) vs. FINJUICE (DAVID FINLAY and JUICE ROBINSON)

Karl Anderson and David Finlay start the bout. Juice comes in and hits some eccentric offense. The Big LG tags in and delivers some heavy blows. Gallows floors Juice with a clothesline and tags in Anderson. Anderson trips Finlay on the top rope, as his head whiplashes against the top rope and turnbuckle. Gallows wears him down some more as he desperately needs a tag. Gallows knocks Finlay straight to the mat with a big boot and hands the action over to The Machine Gun. Gallows grabs the tag, stopping Finlay from getting some fresh Juice in the ring. Gallows drops him with a right hook and follows up with a leg drop for a count of two. Gallows and Anderson continue to dominate and prove why they are so highly regarded. Finlay evades Anderson and gets the tag. Juice lands some jabs on Anderson and hits a full nelson slam, nearly winning. Cannonball missed by Juice, allowing Gallows to come in. Straps are down and The Big LG lands a big roundhouse kick. Juice kicks out at 2.5 and Anderson comes in, knocking Finlay down. The Brothers look for The Magic Killer but Finlay breaks it up. Gallows lands a side kick but Juice recovers. Anderson delivers a spinebuster for a near fall. Anderson wants the Gun-Stun but gets countered. Finlay gets the tag and unloads. Backbreaker, elbow drop combo for a near fall. Gallows gets taken out and FinJuice hits a Doomsday Device and wins the IMPACT TAG TEAM TITLES!

WINNERS: FINJUICE

***1/2
Wow what a shocking finish. I did not expect that in the slightest, but New Japan now has a hold of the IMPACT World Tag Team Titles. IMPACT can be hard to predict. Good match though, above the average Good Brothers match and the climatic finish helped.

TNA/IMPACT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP UNIFICATION
MOOSE (TNA) vs. RICH SWANN (IMPACT)

This is a huge match in IMPACT, being built for months. No robe tonight for Moose. He stands in the best shape of his life, with his white-strapped TNA gold belt for perhaps the final time. This run has been an essential part of Moose’s evolution as a wrestler and it all culminates in a dramatic fashion. Swann triggers a dropkick immediately but Moose looks to strike early. Moose is sent outside where Swann attempts a flip. Moose catches him but Swann finds his footing on the apron. Moose catches him again but gets sent into the post. Moose finds his way back into the match and tosses the champ around. Moose is in full control, but Swann attacks the legs. Moose back body drops Swann, who lands chest first. Swann begins fighting back but gets drilled with a uranage. Moose now checks under the ring, grabbing a chair. Moose wedges it into the corner, causing ref Brian Hebner to intervene. Moose launches Swann instead and thinks of his next move. Moose sends Swann into the guardrail, breaking the outside count in the process. Moose yanks Swann’s hair against the rails, causing a scream from the champ. Moose slows things down with an abdominal stretch, placing the fist into the ribs of Swann. Swann uses some joint manipulation and a bite to break free and land some elbows. Moose lands a gutbuster, flooring the champ in his brief moment on top. Moose hoists Swann up to the top. Swann connects with a rana sending Moose across the ring. Swann starts tossing jabs, escalating to back fists and roundhouse kicks. Moose bicycle kicks Swann in the spine, but Swann fights responds with a back spring cutter off of a Moose springboard attempt. Moose kicks out at one, and he is fired up. Swann measures a kick and connects. Swann hits a second rope 450 and gets a two count. Back to the top, Swann knocks Moose down but he answers back with a moonsault slam from the top rope. Excellent stuff. Swann kicks out at two and Moose is losing it. Moose lines up Swann for a Lights Out Spear but hits the buckle. He attempts again but hits another buckle. He goes once more and hits the chair wedged earlier. Moose gets caught in a crucifix and roll through, allowing Swann to score the win out of nowhere.

WINNER: RICH SWANN

****

This was a pretty great match with Moose really shining. He did everything he could but Swann is champ for a reason and his surprise victories get the job done. Moose loses here but will only become greater from this, and will step up in the coming months. Swann is now the unified champ and I’m interested in where that goes. The match had some insane moments and spots, and some dominating heat from Moose. A good formula that always works.

7.5

The final score: review Good

The 411

This was a good consistent show right here. My main complaint would be how the show seemed to drag on. Cutting it short even one match would have helped the flow but at least the card was pretty quality. Low points included ODB vs. Deonna and the intergender tag team match, but the X-Division, Tag Team, and World Title matches hit on a high level. Good main event matches go a long way and a good undercard helped mold a good show all around.